


Shout It From The Rooftops

by PaddlingTheCanoe



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Tumblr made me do it, emotional monologue-ing, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-23 22:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16627211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaddlingTheCanoe/pseuds/PaddlingTheCanoe
Summary: After months of everyone at the DPD giving the pair grief for being together, Nines decides to let everyone know why he is in love with Gavin Reed.Based on this post from Tumblr user thecupcakesarepeople (with permission): http://thecupcakesarepeople.tumblr.com/post/179903317589/ok-but-what-about-the-whole-dpd-knowing-about





	Shout It From The Rooftops

“I still don’t get what you see in him. He’s such an asshole.”

Dammit. They had been having such a nice conversation, too. Nines turned and walked out of the break room, ignoring the officer’s rude comments. Gavin had asked him long ago to not pay any mind to the derogatory remarks from their coworkers. That did not mean that Nines had to stand around and listen, though.

It had all started when the pair started showing up to work together. Nines was always early, but Gavin slid in at the last possible second every day. All of a sudden, they started coming in at the exact same time, punctual. That would not have been too suspicious if not for Officer Chen pointing out that they arrived in the same car. Eventually the pair had to confess that they were dating. They always stayed professional at work. They had agreed on it for the sake of being able to remain partners.

Unfortunately, staying professional meant that the other officers and detectives in the precinct did not get to see Gavin Reed as Nines saw him. They constantly made barbs, insulted, and degraded the detective right to Nines’s face, as if one day the android would blink at them and say, “Oh yes I hadn’t realized,” and break off the relationship.

Nines was nearing his breaking point. The only reason he kept his calm at this point was that he had promised to Gavin to ignore. Ignore ignore ignore. Take and take and take. It was not fair.

The android felt his spirits lift when he approached his and Gavin’s shared station. The detective had his feet up; his chair was leaned back to the point of barely tipping. He was scowling at his tablet in a way that told Nines he was going to need to force his human wear his glasses to work. Though, Gavin was adorable concentrating like he was, lips pursed and eyes squinting.

“Detective, you really must bring your corrective lenses to work. You’ll only worsen your sight at this rate,” Nines said in a playful tone.

“Suck my dick, tin can.” Gavin did not even hesitate.

Nines tried to begin a sassy retort when he heard a snort from a nearby station. Officer Pearson was sat at her desk, looking at the pair incredulously. The android turned to glare the officer into submission, but he heard Gavin cough slightly. Nines looked back and his partner and saw a look that clearly indicated “don’t do it; it isn’t worth it.”

Then the bitch opened her mouth.

“Really, Nines, you’re such a good guy. This good-for-nothing piece of shit was part of the anti-android league. He beat up every cop here at least once. He’s lazy, arrogant, mean spirited, anything you can name. Why do you waste your time?”

The worst part of it all was how genuine she sounded. She really didn’t understand. None of them understood. The Gavin they saw at work, the Gavin they saw before the revolution, was a different man. If they opened their eyes they would see how much he had changed. They would know how amazing Gavin was. If they saw the Gavin Nines did, they would bite their tongues. They would understand.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Nines had to make them understand. He couldn’t take it anymore. Gavin’s eyes were getting wider and wider. Gavin was always good at reading Nines’s mind, even without the LED. His eyes plead for his partner to leave it be. Nines could not, not anymore.

Nines moved back to his station, but rather than sit and continue working, he stepped onto his chair then onto the desk itself. He stood tall over the bullpen and yelled, “Hey, everyone! I have something I need to say! All of you!”

A glance at Gavin revealed his mortified look.

“These past few months here have been some of the worst of my life. Many of you would scoff and say ‘of course, with Gavin Reed for a partner.’ I want you all to know that it is because of you that I have been so miserable! You have constantly attacked the man I love with nothing but scorn. You refuse to open your eyes and see the man Gavin Reed is today. You are so obsessed with putting him down that you cannot recognize that he has become the best of you! Why? Because he had never once sunk down to your level! Not since before we started dating.”

Everyone was staring now. Fowler even emerged from his glass cage to watch the show.

“Gavin Reed is the most amazing human I have ever met. He is not perfect, but none of us, even androids, are. He is so amazing because I have seen how much a man can change. Gavin could have chosen to remain bitter. Could have chosen to retain his hatred. But he moved on. He let himself see the truth. He let himself grow into the person he is.

And I know you all will say that even though he might be a better person, he is still below me. That I could and should do so much better. But none of you understand how much Gavin Reed has done for me. How much I have changed through being his partner. It is at least, if not more, than any change the man himself has undergone.

Gavin Reed taught me how to be alive. He taught me how to stand up for myself, even when he would not do such for himself. He taught me the power of being my authentic self, not what some factory designed me to be. He taught me how to not give two fucks about anything.

Here are some things you do not know about Gavin Reed. He has two cats named Pickles and Puff. The scar on the bridge of his nose gets more red when he blushes. I think it makes him look ruggedly handsome. His laugh makes my head buzz. His grin afterwards overloads my processors and leaves me completely speechless. Gavin has caused me to malfunction from pure adoration exactly seven hundred and ninety two times in the year we have been together. He makes me happy.

And Gavin Reed loves me. You all seem to think that sort of thing is easy to find. You think I am settling. Do you think it is settling when Gavin Reed learned how repair and recalibrate biocomponents just so I would not have to go to Cyberlife? Do you think it is settling when Gavin Reed loses nights of sleep holding me in his arms when the memories of pre-deviancy become to much? Do you think it is settling when Gavin Reed reads my mind, knows my heart, and understands just how to fit the broken pieces together?

Let me make this point abundantly clear. I am in love with Gavin. I don’t care if I have to shout it from the rooftops every last day of my damned existence. I love Gavin Reed! And the next person to make a negative comment towards my partner will kindly have their spine removed from their body. Is that understood?”

The entire station was deathly quiet. The faint sound of traffic could be heard from the street. Someone coughed. Finally, Nines turned again to look down at Gavin. The detective was completely red and his eyes were watery. Nines could not tell if the human was embarrassed, livid, or something else entirely. Suddenly the moment was broken by Gavin shooting up from his desk and sprinting from the room.

The other officers and detectives breathed a sigh of relief. Nines slowly lowered himself from the desk and thanked RA9 that Connor and Hank had been out on assignment, or he would never hear the end of this. Well, he probably would not still. Fowler had gone back into his office, but the Captain was probably just trying to figure out how best to avoid an android-discrimination lawsuit when he fired Nines. None of that really mattered, though. Nines was only thinking about one person.

The android left the station at a measured pace. Whenever Gavin got emotional, he liked to be alone. He liked to sort through his thoughts before he interacted with anyone. Before, he was explosive because he did not think things through. Nines appreciated that his partner had improved so much in terms of emotional stability and social interaction, but that did not mean that he would not worry when the human went off. From past experience, Nines knew Gavin was heading to their shared home, Gavin’s apartment. He would have taken the car, so Nines would walk back. He hoped the detective would be ready to talk by the time he got there.

The apartment building was not far from the station, but Nines took his time on the streets and up the seven flights of stairs. It was nearly an hour by the time Nines stood in front of Gavin’s- well, their- apartment door. It was late, though their normal shift would still have two hours to go. Nines thought it best to knock. He waited two minutes before letting himself in.

The apartment was dim, the only light coming from the lamp in the bedroom. Nines approached the entrance slowly. As much as he wanted to see Gavin, he had no idea how the human would react to his presence. Gavin had been so hard to read before he left the precinct.

Inside their shared room, the human sat on the bed facing the window. The apartment was cheap, all they could afford with what they were paid. Still, there was a view of the street. The people watching was good. Gavin and Nines would sit staring at the window, making up the most salacious stories about passersby. The detective did not appear to be doing anything like that. His gaze was empty, glazed over.

"Gavin? Would you like to talk about what happened at the station? I can come back later if you need more time alone."

Gavin turned to Nines, clearly a little startled at the sudden voice. His eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Don't you fucking dare leave. Come here."

The detective motioned for his partner to sit next to him on the bed before turning back to the window. He rubbed his hands against his face as he tried to wipe away the traitorous tears. He had not sounded mad. Just tired and… fond?

"I am sorry I embarrassed you. You have asked me numerous times to ignore the comments. I let my temper get away from me. I apologize."

Nines cautiously lifted his arm to wrap it around his partner. Gavin leaned into the android instantly. His head fell to Nines's chest. The latter could feel silent tears staining the fabric of his shirt. Gavin looked up suddenly, and Nines was shocked at the raw emotion he found there.

"Nines, I'm not mad. Well, fuck, okay I am a little annoyed. Embarrassed. How could I not be? I'm really private, you know that, and you basically waxed poetic about me in front of the whole station. But- But I'm not mad. You…" Gavin wheezed as his tears made his chest seize. They were flowing freely now. Nines had never seen his lover cry so profusely.

"No one has ever stood up for me before. I don't understand why anyone would ever want to."

The way Gavin said those words… it was like they were ripped from his throat. He started crying even harder, something Nines had not been able to preconstruct because it seemed like such an impossibility. The android pulled his human closer, nearly curling around him.

It broke Nines's synthetic heart to think about what must have happened to Gavin Reed to make him like he is. To make him so overwhelmed by someone sticking up for him that he had to break apart. And Nines was angry. He was mad at the world for making Gavin feel like he deserved any less.

"Gavin, I will continue stand up for you until the day you die. I will cherish you for longer than even that. I will never, ever, let anyone demean you again. You are the most important thing in my life. I love you. I want everyone to know how special you are to me. How special you are in general. You are an amazing person, Gavin. I am lucky to have you. I just want everyone else to see that."

Gavin did not respond. His stifled sobs were enough to tell Nines that Gavin understood. It was all too much. Still too new. So much history unexplored, so many issues yet to resolve. But Nines meant every syllable of what he said at the station, and he waits with baited synthetic breath to add to the list of things he adores about Detective Gavin Reed.

And maybe one day Gavin will be able to believe him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks thecupcakesarepeople for giving me permission to write this fic based on your post! Sorry its a bit late!
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
